ETHICAL

Pilgrimage Travel in the 21st Century

Pilgrims conquering the world?

Perhaps not yet, but still there
are millions of tourists who
travel each year for spiritual
reasons. Discover the art of pil-
grimage, visit Lourdes in France,
south American temples or
even Armenian monasteries.

Sacred Encounters:
The Art of Pilgrimage
The Sufi mystic Mevlana Rumi wrote seven
centuries ago, "Don't be satisfied with the sto-
ries that come before you; unfold your own
myth." His poetic brother here in the West,
Walt Whitman, put it this way: "Not I—not
anyone else, can travel that road for you. You
must travel it yourself."
Together, these musings aspire to the idea
echoed in the work of seekers everywhere,
that travelers cannot find deep meaning in
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ETHICAL
their journey until they encounter what is truly
sacred. What is sacred is what is worthy of
our reverence, what evokes awe and wonder
in the human heart, and what when contem-
plated transforms us utterly.
The Knot of Eternity
Surely, a voice whispered to me one night in
the ruins of an old castle in Donegal. Ireland,
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
surely there is a secret way. The moon was ris-
ing like a celestial mirror over the heathery hills.
The sea slapped at the peculiar basalt rock for-
mations along the coast. The wind howled like
Gaelic pipes. From a distant farmhouse came
the sweet smell of burning peat.
I stood shivering in the stone archway of an
ancient chapel. Turning my head, I saw the
weathered carving of a centuries-old Knot of
Eternity. Each thread wandered far from the
center, then whorled back in again. The ancient
Celts believed this to be a potent symbol of
life's journey, and the desire to return to the
source that replenishes the soul.
Slowly, I followed the old stone path with my
finger. Around and around went my hand, feel-
ing the ancient chisel marks, the abrasions of
wind, rain, and sun, and the tender burnish-
ing of time. I thought of all the travelers who
had come there, step by step, prayer by prayer,
and wondered if they had discovered what
they had been seeking, if their faith had been
restored.
Slowly, the moon lit the ancient stone. The
night air stung my eyes. My hand kept moving
across the eternal knot, seeking out the hidden
pattern beneath the whirling stone. In the sub-
lime moment I felt an ancient presence rise in
my heart, and in my fingertips the unwinding
spiral of joy.
Pilgrimage as Art
This is the path that The Art of Pilgrimage
follows, one carved out by the simple beauty of
a handful of practices, tasks and exercises that
pilgrims, sojourners, and explorers of all kinds

have used for millennia. In each of us dwells a
wanderer, a gypsy, a pilgrim. The purpose here
is to call forth that spirit. What matters most
on your journey is how deeply you see, how
attentively you hear, how richly the encounters
are felt in your heart and soul.
Kabir wrote, “If you have not experienced
something, then for you it is not real.” So it is
with pilgrimage, which is the art of movement,
the poetry of motion, the music of personal
experience of the sacred in those places where
it has been known to shine forth. If we are not
astounded by these possibilities, we can never
plumb the depths of our own souls or the soul
of the world.
Whether we are on vacation, a business trip,
or a far-flung adventure tour, we can look at
the trying times along the road as either tor-
ment or chances to “stretch” ourselves.
But what do we do if we feel a need for some-
thing more out of our journeys than the peren-
nial challenges and pleasure of travel? What
happens if the search for the new is no longer
enough? What if our heart aches for a kind of
journey that defies explanation?
Centuries of travel lore suggest that when we
no longer know where to turn, our real journey
has just begun. At that crossroads moment, a
voice calls to our pilgrim soul. The time has
come to set out for the sacred ground—the
mountain, the temple, the ancestral home—
that will stir our heart and restore our sense
of wonder. It is down the path to the deeply
real where time stops and we are seized by the
mysteries. This is the journey we cannot not
take.
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The Purpose of Pilgrim’s Journey
Imagine your first memorable journey. What
images rise up in your soul? They may be of a
childhood visit to the family gravesite, the lec-
ture your uncle gave at a famous battlefield, or
the hand-in-hand trip with your mother to a
religious site. What feelings are evoked by your
enshrined travel memories?
According to the dictionary, the word pilgrim-
age derives from the Latin peligrinus, meaning
foreigner or wayfarer. It refers to the journey of
a person who travels to a shrine or holy place.
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
The pilgrim’s motives have always been
manifold: to pay homage, to fulfill a vow or
obligation, to do penance, to be rejuvenated
spiritually, or feel the release of catharsis. The
journeys all begin in a nervous state, in deep
disturbance. Something vital was missing in
life: Vitality itself may be lurking on the road or
at the heart of a distant sanctuary.
The ritual act of pilgrimage attempts to fill
that emptiness. It can happen halfway around
the world, as it did with a very kind priest I
know—Father Theodore Walters of Toledo,
Ohio, who began leading groups to the Mar-
ian Shrine at Medjugorjje, Yugoslavia, because
he believed that modern people desperately
needed “a healing vision from the Mother of
God.” He also confessed that he believed a
war-battered country might need the kindness
people on pilgrimage convey from the sheer
gratitude brimming in their hearts.
Sacred &Personal Tours
Pilgrimage can also occur just down the road,
as it did to a married couple I met briefly, who
had reached an imase in their creative endeav-
ors. They said they had lost their voice and
needed “to hear the voice of commitment to
words again.” In response, they decided to
reinvigorate their love of literature by travel-
ing to the poet Robinson Jeffers’ stone house
in Carmel, California. My old friend Michael
Jajuga was under so much stress in medical
school that once a month he would rejuvenate
himself in what he called his “nature pilgrim-
ages.” He would drive all night in his 1970 Chal-
lenger into the woods of northern Michigan so

he could go trout fishing for a few hours before
returning home. That brief contact was his
“golden time,” he used to say—his sacred time.
Participation can be communal, as was
China Galland’s march with a million other
pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czesto-
chowa in Jasna Gora Monastery, Poland. Or it
may be solitary, as with the World War II pilot
I met in Tokyo in the mid-1980s, who had just
returned from a sorrowful visit to ground zero
in Hiroshima.
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ETHICAL P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
What unites the different forms of pilgrim-
age is intensity of intention, the soul’s desire to
respond to return to the center, whether it por-
tends ecstasy or agony. What makes a pilgrim-
age sacred is the longing behind the journey,
reminiscent of the famous sixteenth-century
woodcut of the Pilgrim Astronomer, who pikes
his head through a slit in the dome of the sky
so that he might gaze at the machinery behind
the sun, stars and moon and so unveil the mys-
teries of creation.
(Extract from ‘The Art of Pilgrimage’)
By Phil Cousineau
Phil Cousineau is an award-winning writer and film-
maker, teacher and editor, lecturer and travel leader,
storyteller and TV host. His books include Stoking the
Creative Fires, Once and Future Myths, The Art of
Pilgrimage, The Olympic Odyssey, The Hero's Journey,
and Wordcatcher. Phil also led the Land of Myth &
Mystery journey to Ireland organized by Sacred Earth
Journeys last September.
http://philcousineau.net
http://www.sacredearthjourneys.ca
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Favorite French Pilgrimage
Destinations: Lourdes and La Salette
The word “pilgrim” immediately conjures up
images of travel, but it goes far beyond that.
Since the word first appeared in the western
vocabulary of 14th century Europe, it has been
associated with a sense of purpose, a commit-
ment not just to wander through life but to
focus, a wake-up call that may lead to positive
change. Most of all, it has meant sacrifice, not
just of time and money to reach the pilgrim-
age destination, but hardship to the human
body and mental wellbeing. Reaching the des-
tination was seldom easy, requiring weeks,
months, even years away from family, com-
munity, livelihood … no jetting across oceans
or continents in a matter of hours nor driving
comfortably to a pre-booked pilgrim hotel, res-
ervations secured by credit card!
In the 21st century, the world feels just as
strongly about pilgrimage travel as it ever has,
but have the motivations changed as much as
the style? Even with deep economic recessions
and readily-accessible medical care in most
western nations to cure our ailments, pilgrim-
age travel holds steady among the already-
faithful and those who search for meaning and
new directions in their lives. Partly because
the rigors and dangers of pilgrimage travel
have been drastically reduced and partly
because older people have the time, money,
good health and compelling urge to explore
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Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our
Lady of Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage for Europe-
ans and others from around the world. Photo credit:
Alison Gardner
the world, men and women age 45 and better
make up the vast majority of pilgrim travelers,
whether doing so independently or in groups
of varying sizes.
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
Being married to a devout Catholic while I
myself am an Evangelical Christian, I have had
the pleasure of visiting several Catholic pil-
grimage sites in Europe. We lived in Mostar,
Bosnia and Herzegovina for two years, only
45 minutes from Medjugorje, visited annu-
ally by one million of the Catholic faithful and
the spiritually curious since 1980. Despite the
numbers, the still-small town with no high-rise
hotels or fast-food outlets is a cheerful, unhur-
ried, accommodating experience where fellow
pilgrims strike up conversations with strangers
and spontaneously share a restaurant table or
a countryside hike up one of the challenging
apparition mountains.
Longer established, larger and more com-
mercially sophisticated is Lourdes at the foot
of the French Pyrenees. Yearly from March to
October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
is a high-profile place of pilgrimage with an esti-
mated 200 million visitors since 1860. With an
incredible weekly roster of activities, services
and meetings, there are information centers
and armies of volunteers who work diligently
to make the individual or group pilgrim experi-
ence a lifetime memory.
Rotating through different languages at dif-
ferent times, church services are laced with
spine-tingling choir singing, but there are also
riverside and hillside walks to offset the inten-

Open all year except November, the shrine of La
Salette is located in a high alpine pasture at an altitude
of 6,000 feet, about 9 miles from the nearest town.
Photo credit: Alison Gardner
sity of the more focused timetables. Again, a
peaceful, cooperative atmosphere among resi-
dents and perfect strangers is an essential fea-
ture of this bustling but walkable town, even if
there are too many souvenir shops to qualify
as an exclusively spiritual experience.
However, I truly lost my heart to the moun-
taintop pilgrim shrine of La Salette in the
French Alps (Sacred-destinations.com/france/
la-salette-shrine) hardly known compared with
Medjugorje and Lourdes. It has only a couple of
hundred visitors at once for the very good rea-
son that the only place to stay is the efficiently-
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Evening candlelight processions wind along paths from
the Basilica to the Valley of the Apparitions.
Photo credit: Alison Gardner
run retreat center, booked months in advance.
After a two hour drive or a public bus ride out
of Grenoble on narrow road with dozens of
tight hairpin curves, you arrive in dazzling nat-
ural surroundings with no town, no shops, an
imposing stone basilica (built 1852-65) and a
modern chapel, a visitor center staffed by wel-
coming volunteers and a modern hostel for pil-
grims to stay and eat cafeteria-style at shared
tables. The majority of guests are from France,
Poland and Italy, but English is also spoken.
Apart from the daily schedule of spiritual
experiences, what makes you go "Wow!"
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
many times throughout a visit is layer upon
layer of mountain ranges, the perpetual tin-
kling bells of sheep in tiny green fields that
sweep down from the pilgrimage site, and
dozens of well-worn ridge-top hiking trails
straight out of the opening scenes of The
Sound of Music.
When we booked this piece of heaven for
three nights, all the double "cells" were taken,
so we happily booked two single cells on
opposite sides of our hallway. In each small,
immaculate room was a surprisingly comfort-
able single bed (no suffering there), wardrobe,
desk and chair, and a sink, towels and mirror.
Down the hall was a large bathroom of shared
toilets and showers. We paid under $40 each
for three meals a day and accommodation,
surely a bargain in either the spiritual or secu-
lar world!
By Alison Gardner
Editor/journalist, Alison Gardner, is a global expert
on nature-based vacations and cultural/educational
travel. Her Travel with a Challenge web magazine, is a
recognized source of new and established operators,
accommodations and richly-illustrated feature articles
covering all types of senior-friendly alternative travel.
http://www.travelwithachallenge.com
 ETHICAL P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y

Faith Tourism in Armenia:

Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin
Christianity played a crucial role in the devel-
opment of Armenian art and architecture. The
“classic” style developed in the 5th-7th centu-
ries, but its further evolution came to an abrupt
halt with the Arab occupation that began at
the end of the 7th century. Armenia became
independent again at the end of the 9th cen-
tury and Armenian art was revived when the
kingdom was consolidated and national iden-
tity re-established.
In this period two Byzantine monaster-
ies were built – the monasteries of Haghpat
and Sanahin. They were important centers of
learning, housing some 500 monks, and bear
eloquent testimony to the highest achieve-
ment of Armenian architecture. Today they
are visited by hundreds of tourists and pil-
grims eager to see and explore the two mon-
asteries inscribed on the UNESCO’s World
Heritage List.
“People are often surprised by the majes-
tic and severe architecture of the monaster-
ies. They are truly impressive,” said Vrezh, a
tour guide of AdvenTour, that organizes tours
around Armenia and Georgia.
Both monasteries are exceptional examples
of the 'domed hall' ecclesiastical architecture
that developed in Armenia from the 10th to
the 13th centuries, which blended elements
of both Byzantine church architecture and the

April, 2011 — 28 —

traditional vernacular building style of this
region.
“We were fortunate that in Haghpat, the
priest gave us an expert and well-informed
tour,” said John from UK who joined the Adven-
Tour’s tour Best of Armenia last year. “It was a
unique opportunity. We wish we had had more
knowledge of the history of these places,” he
added.
The construction of the main church of the
large fortified monastic complex of Haghpat,
dedicated to the Holy Cross, began in 966-67
and was completed in 991. The central dome
rests on the four massive pillars in the side
walls. The external walls are almost entirely
covered by triangular niches. The apse con-
tains a fresco of Christ Pantocrator.
The building is complete and in its original
form, apart from some 11th- and 12th-century
restorations, includes a large gavit through
which access is gained to the church. The plan
of the gavit, built in the second decade of the
13th century, differs markedly in style from
the main church. A large narthex-type build-
ing used for meetings, teaching and funerary
rituals is based on vernacular architecture in
wood, with the roof supported on four pillars
in the centre of the structure.
The Sanahin Monastery consists of a large
group of buildings on the plateau above the
Debet gorge. It is skillfully integrated into the
impressive mountain landscape. The buildings
are laid out on two rectangular axes, with their
facades facing west.
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ETHICAL
The main church, built in the 10th century, is
the Cathedral of the Redeemer. The emphasis
of the cross-shaped interior is on the central
nucleus and the harmony between the square
base and the circular dome. The central dome
in this case is surrounded by four two-storey
sacristies or chapels. To the west there is a
four-columned gavit built in 1181. Its plan is
that of a cross inscribed in a square. Lighting
is by means of an aperture in the centre of the
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
dome. This is the earliest known example of
this type of structure, which owes its origins
to Armenian peasant dwellings consisting of
square rooms with four free-standing pillars
supporting the roof and a central hole to allow
smoke to be dispersed.
The Church of the Mother of God (Astvat-
zatzin), located to the north of the cathedral
and connected with it by means of an open-
ended vaulted passage, is the oldest building
in the complex, built in 934 by monks fleeing
from Byzantium. The large library (scriptorium),
built in 1063, is square in plan and vaulted, with
ten niches of varying sizes in which codices and
books were stored. At the south-eastern corner
of the library is to be found the small church
dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator. The
11th-century Academy of Gregory Magistros is
located between the two main churches. The
deep niches along the walls and the abundance
of light give this building an exceptional spatial
quality. The cemetery, located to the south-east
of the main buildings, contains the late 12th-
century mausoleum of the Zakarian princes.
By AdvenTour
AdvenTour is the pioneer of experiential travel in
Armenia and the Caucasus. They create original travel
experiences that provide real-life interaction with the
colorful region and its people. Whether it's a classical
sightseeing or a more active exploration, the traveles
get up close and personal with places they are explor-
ing. More information about their tours at
http://www.caucasusexplorer.com.
http://www.caucasusexplorer.com

Develop Your Own
Pilgrimage Tourism
Pilgrimage tourism may be one of the earliest
and most important forms of tourism. Faith
based tourism exists throughout the world,
from India to Mexico, from Israel to Saudi Ara-
bia. From Biblical times pilgrimages have not
only been calls to spirituality but also major
economic drivers that impact not only the soul
but also the pocketbook. The Bible speaks of
ascending to Jerusalem at least three times a
year for each of the Biblical harvest festivals.
Likewise the Islamic world is famous for the
Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca.
Cities, Temples and … Lenin
For many millennia people have made pil-
grimages to cities, shrines, rivers, mountains.
Cities around the world have developed reli-
gious tourism not only at their main centers
but also in places where miracles have been
reported such as in Fatima in Portugal and
Lourdes in France.
Furthermore, while pilgrimages are usually
associated with religious events or locations,
they may also come in the form of visits to
places where political events have occurred,
burial sites of political leaders, or famous
monuments. For example, during the Com-
munist period of Russian history there, mil-
lions of people made a pilgrimage to Lenin’s
tomb and in the USA millions visit the monu-
ments that punctuate Washington, DC
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Pilgrimage tourism in many ways parallels
other forms of event tourism. While some form
of spirituality, wish for divine healing or thank-
fulness inspires the trip, in many ways these
pilgrimages also reflect many of the character-
istics of other forms of tourism venues. A visi-
tor to any of these religious sites will quickly
note that in the modern world of pilgrimage
tourism (and from what we can learn from
ancient texts, also in the ancient world) the
places produce secondary industries. Be these,
the souvenir industry or the lodging industry, a
series of dependent industries quickly develop
around the site.
Spiritual or Cognitive Travelers?
Secondly, just as in some many other forms
of tourism, the visitor (pilgrim) must be a
believer in the narrative. Thirdly there is a dif-
ference between a pilgrimage, whose primary
basis is faith-oriented, and a trip in which the
person’s primary purpose is other then the
spiritual narrative. These people may be clas-
sified as pilgrimage based tourism but they are
not spiritual pilgrims. Thus, entering into the
world of religious pilgrimage sites is an exer-
cise in spiritual emotion rather than cognition.
While all pilgrimages are faith-based travel,
not all faith-based tourism is pilgrimages.
Faith based travel may take place for life cycle
events, for missionary work or humanitarian
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
interest projects and for religious conventions
and conclaves.
Although from a social psychology viewpoint
pilgrimages are based on emotion, faith-based
tourism is big business. To help you deal with this
growing travel trend. Here are some essentials to
help the busy travel and tourism professional.
Pilgrimages Are Often Big Business
It is estimated that in the US alone some 25%
of the traveling public is interested in some
form of pilgrimage or faith-based tourism.
When one adds to this the number of people
who travel for faith-based conventions, and
faith based activities such as weddings, bar
mitzvahs or funerals, the number becomes
extraordinarily large. World Religious Travel is
one of the fastest growing segments in travel
today. Religious travel is estimated at a value of
US$18 billion and 300 million travelers strong.
Major faith based destinations such as Israel,
Italy and Saudi Arabia have developed large
 ETHICAL P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y

industries that provide services for people on

pilgrimage.

Group or Individual Tourism

Pilgrimages may occur as a form of group or
individual tourism. Especially among young
people (who compose about one third of the
faith-based visitors) there are a great number
of people who seek spiritual aspects to their
vacations. Think through what areas of your
community offer a chance to increase self-
awareness or spirituality.

Less Threatened by Economic Crisis

Pilgrimage travel is often less prone to eco-
nomic ups and downs in the market place.
Because faith-based travelers are committed
travelers they tend to save for these religious
experiences and travel despite the state of the
economy. Faith travelers tend to have different
motives for travel then do travelers for other
reasons. For example, the faith-based traveler
often travels as part of a religious obligation or
to fulfill a spiritual mission. Faith-based travel
can provide a steady flow of income to a local
Be Sensitive to Religious Needs Develop Your Faith-Based Tourism
tourism economy.
Religiously aware professionals will do best A recent study reported by the Associate
with this market. From airlines to hotels, those Press found that in the Judeo-Christian world
All Ages and All Nationalities travel and tourism professionals who are sen- Israel is the number one preference of faith-
The pilgrimage and faith based market has sitive to religious needs are going to do better. based travelers followed by Italy and then
the advantage of appealing to people from Among the things to consider are types of food England; however, faith-based tourism does
around the world, of all ages and of all nation- served, types of music played and when activi- not have to be built around a classical pilgrim-
alities. Tourism and travel professionals should ties take place. As in other forms of tourism it age site. There is no doubt that it helps to
be aware that this market might well double is essential to know your market. For example, have a major religious center, such as Jerusa-
by the year 2020. To add to this number many airlines that do not offer vegetarian meals may lem, Mecca, or Rome most locales will never
faith-based travelers prefer to travel in groups lose a portion of the faith-based market whose have such holy sites. Lack of a religious center
rather than as individuals. religion has specific food restrictions. does not mean however that a location can-

April, 2011 — 31 —

not develop faith-based tourism. Florida has
created its own Bible land, and multiple cities
around the world have found ways to incorpo-
rate religious holidays into their tourism prod-
uct.
Coordinate with Pilgrim’s Needs
Support industries must coordinate with the
pilgrimage cycle and needs. All too often the
spirituality that visitors seek is lost at the level
of supporting industries. During faith based
tourism periods it is essential that hotels and
restaurants connect with the arts and cultural
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communities to develop an overall faith based
product rather than a mishmash of unrelated
offerings.
Resources for Religious Tourism
Be aware of new and exciting resources for
pilgrimage and faith-based travel. For examples
the website Grouple.com has a whole section
dedicated to religious travel. Major religious
institutions also maintain travel centers for
people of their faith. Another inspiration for
pilgrimages may be called the anti-faith based
traveler. For example, the fictional works of J.
K. Rowling’ Harry Potter, Dan Brown’s Da Vinci
Code, Shakespeare’s plays – have all created
pilgrimages.
By Dr. Peter E. Tarlow
Dr. Peter E. Tarlow is the president of Tourism & More
Inc, located in College Station, Texas, USA. He can be
reached at his email address
ptarlow@tourismandmore.com or by telephone at
+1-979-764-8402.
http://www.tourismandmore.com
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Via Francigena – Walking Europe’s

Oldest Pilgrimage Trail
For centuries, people from all “walks of life”
regardless of their religious or spiritual lean-
ings, have been making pilgrimages to sacred
places. For nearly as long, Christian pilgrims,
rich, poor, and sometimes famous from
throughout Europe have used a network of
paths to journey to Rome, called the Via Fran-
cigena.
The Via Francigena is Europe’s oldest cultural
trade route dating back more than 2,000 years.
In Italy it is an elusive network of trails of ancient
Roman roads and medieval paths that wind their
way from Switzerland to Rome for 1,000 km.
Unlike its counterpart, the ever-popular
Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Via Franci-
gena in Italy, remains barely known. However,
this is quickly changing as modern day pilgrims
equipped with new guidebooks, trail maps and
GPS devices are rediscovering the Via Franci-
gena.

Via Francigena Sign on Route Napoleon –

Winding from the Alps to Rome Switzerland

What makes the Via Francigena extraor-

dinary, apart from its religious and spiritual
importance as a Christian pilgrim trail, is that
it crosses through six separate regions from
northern to central Italy. From Gran San Ber-
nardo high in the Swiss/Italian Alps, the Via
Francigena descends into the distinct French
speaking Valle d Aosta, and through the rice
capitals of Europe, Piedmont and Lombardy,
and meat and cheese heartland of Emilia-
Romagna. It then slowly climbs the Apennines
Mountains, entering the tiny district of Luni-
giana of northern Tuscany. It continues south
through undulating hills of vineyards and
wheat fields, pass the medieval towns of Lucca
and Siena, before entering Lazio, a prehistoric
volcanic homeland of the original Italians, the
Etruscans, before finally reaching the Italian
capital of Rome.

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While some sections of the trail have been

lost to modern highways and thus re-routed,
other segments include old cobble-stoned
Roman roads and gravelly medieval paths
and dirt farm tracks that bypass Etruscan
and Roman ruins and hilltop towns. The trail
weaves throughout famous Roman and medi-
eval towns such as Aosta, Pavia, Piacenza, San
Miniato, San Gimignano, and Viterbo where
you can wander through many of the grand
medieval churches and cathedrals, and gaze
upon many of the ancient castles and forts.

Finding the Pilgrim’s Way

Navigating an elusive trail in modern day Italy
does require an understanding of the nuances
and challenges – something modern day pil-
grims need to appreciate. When my wife and
I walked the trail back in 2008, there were few
good guidebooks, and none in English. Today,
there is not only an excellent English guide-
book (and another on its way), but two differ-
ent Italian guidebooks, and one in French and
one in German. There are also free download- Quart Castle – Valle d Aosta
able road books (in Italian only for now), maps,
and even GPS coordinates for the techie pil-
grim types.
Signage remains a problem in some sections entire route, they have left it up to the 139 breakfast to bonafide pilgrims, an opportu-
especially along the Po River, the country’s lon- local community authorities to carry out the nity to sleep in thousand-year-old abbeys and
gest waterway that divides northern and cen- task. monasteries. For those looking for something
tral Italy, and the region that produces most of more upscale, staying in family run pensions or
the rice consumed by Europeans. Thus being bed & breakfasts or the occasional agriturismo
Sleeping in Monasteries
equipped with a good guidebook and basic is an excellent opportunity to experience the
understanding of Italian is wise. Even though Affordable accommodation is sometimes local culture, taste some of Italy’s fine cuisine,
the Italian state government has spearheaded challenging but a network of religious accom- and meet some very hospitable locals. There is
a campaign to install official signs along the modations offer inexpensive rooms with even the chance to sleep in an ancient castle.

April, 2011 — 34 —
 ETHICAL P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y

This said, state and local authorities continue

to make investments in improved signage and
accommodation that will assist walkers in their
journey.
In summary, the Via Francigena provides
an exceptional opportunity to experience the
contemporary culture, intricate cuisine, and
rich history of Italy, one footstep at a time.
Moreover, it is one of the world’s important
religious and spiritual modern-day Christian
pilgrimages. And it is still yours to discover.

By Neville J Tencer
Neville J Tencer is co-author of An Italian Odyssey: One
Couple’s Culinary & Cultural Pilgrimage. To learn more,
please visit www.verderamedia.com
Monteriggioni Italy
http://www.verderamedia.com

April, 2011 — 35 —

Travel to Mother
Earth’s Sacred Places
From ancient stone circles and jungle-tangled
pyramids to gothic cathedrals and mountain-
top shrines, sacred places attract us with a
mysterious power. Since the beginning of time,
April, 2011
ETHICAL
people have been visiting sacred sites for heal-
ing, inspiration and guidance. Mainstream
western scientists may scoff at suggestions
that water from holy wells can cure illnesses
— 36 —
P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
or that ancient megaliths can deliver messages
from the spirit world, but the concept of pow-
erful places has been known to many cultures
for thousands of years.
The First Pilgrimages
The oldest known pilgrimage site is Mount
Kailash in Tibet, which has been a holy travel
destination for an incomprehensible 15,000
years. Walking the 32-mile trail around Kailash
takes about three days, at altitudes as high as
18,000 feet. Buddhists say the ritual circum-
ambulation erases the sins of one lifetime, and
108 times around the mountain will enable
you to reach Nirvana.
The first Christian pilgrim was Helena, the
mother of the emperor of Constantine. She
toured the holy land in 326 c.e. and identified
(not necessarily accurately) many of the sites
associated with Jesus. By the Middle Ages,
when Chaucer wrote his Canterbury Tales, pil-
grims who couldn’t manage the long voyage
to Jerusalem could still do penance or seek
cures by visiting shrines devoted to the various
saints. The Benedictine monastery in Montser-
rat, Spain attracted 50,000 pilgrims per year
during the Middle Ages, and today it draws
about 60,000 visitors, eager to see the image
of the Virgin Mary said to have been carved by
Saint Luke.
North Americans don’t have to go overseas
to find places known for miracles. In Chimayó,
New Mexico there is an adobe chapel where
2,000 believers congregate each Good Friday,
and 300,000 pilgrims come every year. In a
small room at the back of the chapel, known
 ETHICAL P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y

as the “Room of Miracles”, is a hole in the floor

through which people scoop out sand, said to
have curative properties. The walls of the room
are lined with hundreds of letters and pictures
from visitors thankful for the healing they say
they received.
Even closer to home is Lac Ste. Anne, about
70 km west of Edmonton, where last July’s
annual pilgrimage drew 40,000 visitors, largely
First Nations, to pray, sing and seek com-
fort. Although no actual miracles have been
reported at the lake, participants describe feel-
ing more calm and content, with their spirits
renewed. Visitors to many sacred places come
away feeling inspired, with a greater sense of
purpose. For millennia it was customary for
North American native youth to go on vision
quests to powerful places. After receiving
instructions from a shaman, medicine man or
wise woman, young people would go, alone,
to mountains, canyons, caves or other sites
where they would await visitations from the
spirits. Rock paintings with images of spirit
visions can still be found along the Stein River
valley near Lillooet, BC, a popular destination watched by an Iron-age woman. A visitor who of her group saw what she did, but they agree
for hikers from Vancouver. tried to enter Boleigh fogou said she found her the experience had a profound impact on her.
path blocked by boulders which do not exist. Now a Reiki Grand Master, she describes her
One of the strangest first-hand reports about life as divided into two parts: before and after
Bizarre Stories in Cornwall
a sacred place this writer has ever heard took Peru.
Much more unusual sacred places are fogous place in the Peruvian Andes. A woman from Sedona, Arizona has been a pilgrimage des-
(FOO-goos.) These curious stone tunnels are Olympia, Washington told me she was walking tination since prehistoric times. Not only the
unique to Cornwall, in the southwestern tip across the main plaza of Machu Picchu when local Hopi and Navajo, but natives from as far
of England. Some people who go into fogous a large spacecraft-like object materialized in as Canada and Central America would jour-
experience headaches, dizziness, messages front of her. An extra-terrestrial being emerged ney there for healing and learning long before
from spirit guides or a distorted sense of from the silver ship and sent her a telepathic Europeans invaded North America. Sedona’s
space. One artist sketching inside Carn Euny message of profound, unconditional love. Nei- dramatically-shaped red sandstone rocks are
fogou suddenly became aware she was being ther Andrea’s husband nor the other members said to emit powerful energy partly because

April, 2011 — 37 —

of their high concentration of magnetic iron.
Sandstone is also rich in quartz, the mineral
from which computer chips are made.
Added to these geological forces is the human
factor. Sedona was settled by aboriginals from
the four sacred directions: Apache from the
East, the ancestors of the Hopi from the South,
Yavapai from the West and Athabascans from
the North. This seems to be the way with
many pilgrimage sites. They were first identi-
fied as places of natural earth energy. In time,
the land was developed by adding monoliths,
stone circles, shrines, cathedrals etc. Over the
centuries, as people gathered to celebrate or
worship at the places, they added their own
human energies, which continue to accumu-
late and mingle with earth energies.
Prepare for the Sacred Journey
For every bizarre story you hear about
unusual happenings at sacred places, there
are thousands of disappointed souls who go
on pilgrimages hoping for miracles that never
happen. This writer confesses to being a little
jealous after I went to the same plaza in Machu
Picchu where my friend Andrea had her close
encounter with ETs and I only saw tourists. One
reason why so many pilgrimages fizzle out may
be lack of preparation.
Without going overboard, there are several
practical steps you can take to make your pil-
grimage experience more meaningful. First,
do your homework. Learn about the history
and folklore associated with a place. One of
April, 2011
ETHICAL
the reasons I was moved to tears in Canter-
bury Cathedral is probably because I had first
read Becket. Next, approach sacred places
with humility. Instead of barging into a stone
circle, stop outside and ask the genus loci
for permission before you enter. Know your
reason for going. If some entity were to ask
“Why have you come here?” how would you
answer? Open your mind and heart to the
spirit of a place. Meditate, or at least take
time to absorb whatever energies might be
there.
Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, author of Crossing
to Avalon and Goddesses in Everywoman, rec-
ommends that visitors go to sacred sites “with
an attitude like the Fool in the Tarot deck. You
have to suspend your own critical attitude
which usually prevents you from acting foolish
and be free to do whatever you are moved to
do, whether it be picking up a certain stone,
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P i l gr i m a ge Tr a v e l i n t h e 21s t C e nt ur y
singing, doing a ritual, walking around in a cer-
tain way or lying on the ground.” Openness to
synchronicity is also important.
Self-discovery is, of course, the ultimate
goal of any spiritual pursuit. All transforma-
tion must come from within, and pilgrimage
is just one of many routes you can take to
get there. But if doing yoga or Tao Chi seems
less appropriate to your spirit than going on a
Goddess tour of Turkey, then follow the path
that feels best for you. In the end, all spiritual
roads lead to the same destination, an idea
beautifully summarized by T.S. Eliot in his
Four Quartets:
“And the end of all our exploring, Will be to
arrive where we started, And know the place
for the first time.”
By Robert Scheer
Robert Scheer is a freelance writer whose work
includes travel writing and photography, public
relations, web design and content providing. He is a
member of the B.C. Association of Travel Writers and
former president of the B.C. chapter of the Travel
Media Association of Canada. For more than two years
he published and edited the travel magazine
Power Trips.
Sacred Earth Journeys is a Vancouver, B.C. company
specializing Sacred Journeys, Wellness Travel, Yoga
Tours & Retreats, and Wisdom Teachings. Join them
for a life-changing spiritual journey to Egypt, India,
Thailand, Ireland, Greece, Mexico, Peru and more!
Please visit their website at
www.sacredearthjourneys.ca,
email info@sacredearthjourneys.ca, or
phone (604) 874-7922 or Toll Free 1-877-874-7922.